It's going to be a cold weekend and you are getting cabin fever. The fish are out the water, but the weather is not predicted to be nice. Maybe now is the time for a new project. Remember all the baits you have scattered in your garage, spare bedroom, boat, or closet? Let's put them all together so you can find what you want to fish with when you fishing again.
I must tell you that the project you are going to start will take more than one day to complete.
After you have gathered all of your tackle, sort them by type and color i.e.; plastics, crankbaits, hooks, line, weights, etc., then decide what you want to keep or toss out.
Once you have an idea of how many packages of tackle you really have, you can determine how large an area will be needed to hang them on a wall in the garage. Measure the length and width of the area where you are going to place your tackle. Again, the width depends upon the amount, or number, of packages of fishing tackle you have found to hang on the pegboard.
Go to a local lumber store and purchase the number of pegboards you will need to hang these baits on. You will also need paint, a paint roller and pan, 2-inch wood nails, and four 1" x 1" furring strips for one sheet of pegboard (or five furring strips for two sheets of pegboard). You will need a hammer and the metal hangers to place the bagged baits on. These hangers look like the ones you see holding candy bags, fishing tackle, gift wrappings etc. in any store and can be purchased at your favorite Walmart.
You are now ready to begin your project. First, nail the furring strips to the wall in the design of a large picture frame. If you need more than one sheet of pegboard be sure to nail a furring strip lengthwise in the middle of your picture frame. The purpose of the furring strip is to have not only a board to nail the pegboard to, it also gives you the needed space between the wall and pegboard to attach the hinges of the hangers.
Next, nail the pegboard to the furring strips. You may, at this time, need a helping hand to hold the pegboard in place. If no one is available to help, brace the bottom side of the pegboard on a chair.
Now you are ready to paint the pegboard. I would suggest two coats of paint because this material will soak in the paint like a sponge.
The next day, insert the hangers into the pegboard, beginning at the top of the board, about 3 inches from the left-most side for the first hanger. The second hanger should go into the board about 12 inches below the first hanger. When you start the second row of hangers, measure across from the first row hanger about 6 inches and insert the hanger. The width of the plastic bait bags is usually seven to nine inches, up to 10 inches. You will want to consider this as you are placing the hangers in the pegboard.
Since you have already sorted your tackle by color and type, it's a simple task of placing the bags of bait, hooks, weights, and line on the hangers. You'll have a good idea by the end of the day what baits you own and what baits you need before your next fishing trip.
If, at the end of your fishing day, you take the tackle out of your boat and re-hang them, you will always know what you have on hand and what you need to purchase before you go fishing again.
Here's a tip for today. Have you had problems with your electronic fish finder on the front deck of your boat losing the signal from the bottom of the lake? If you have protected the "V" of your boat from gravel, sand, and other abrasives by installing a Hamby's Protector, perhaps the signal from the transducer is not strong enough to go through the material. I have found three alternatives you might find acceptable. You can place the transducer back six feet toward the middle of your boat. You could even move the transducer to the shaft of your trolling motor (though this might cause problems when you hit a tree stump). Another option would be to replace your electronic unit with one that has a stronger signal.
Until next time, good fishing, and may the next bass you catch be that record.
